In this premiere episode, six year-old Robert Drewe and his family move from Melbourne to Perth. The young boy thinks it's paradise—a world of simple coastal pleasures, clear skies, trusting faces and nothing to threaten an abundance of small town friendliness and tranquility.

In a nearby suburb, a man with a harelip begins working for Robert's father. His life is punctuated by petty crime, false bravado, and a need to be noticed.

As Robert's mother Dorothy lies alone in bed one night, a smirking and knowing eye looks in through the bedroom window.